Down From the Mountain
by AnaEvelyn
Summary: Upon returning home from the mountain, Jordan and the rest struggle to return to normal life. JordanWoody, some NigelKate and BugLily
1. Sleeping It Off

**Summary: Upon returning home from the mountain, Jordan and the rest struggle to return to normal life. Jordan/Woody, some Nigel/Kate and Bug/Lily**

**Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Never will. But it sure is fun to pretend.:-)**

* * *

Down From the Mountain

Chapter One: Sleeping It Off

"Jordan, calm down."

Woody sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. All he wanted to do was go home, take a shower, and sleep for a month. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen for a while.

While the helicopter ride off the mountain had been relatively uneventful, the hospital stay had been anything but. Lily had come in panicked, and instantly began fussing over Bug. Garret had been taken immediately into surgery for his internal bleeding, and Nigel was whisked away to get his arm stitched up. The rest of them had to endure the doctors' pokes and prods to make sure nothing was seriously wrong. Woody, Kate, and Bug had all been cleared. The doctors had wanted to run more tests on Jordan, however, because of her brain surgery.

Everyone waited around to make sure that Garret was all right. When he was pronounced stable by the doctors, and expected to make a full recovery, they were all relieved. Then Lily quickly escorted Bug out the doors, with plans to make him soup and ensure that he was well taken care of.

Nigel had looked at Kate then, but she made it absolutely clear that under no circumstances was he to fuss over her at all. That didn't stop her, however, from marching him straight home for a hot cup of tea.

The tests on Jordan came back fine, but the doctors wanted her to stay the night for observation just in case. Jordan was not happy about it, and she was making it known in typical Jordan fashion.

Hence, Woody was sitting by her bed, attempting to get her to relax so that she could get some rest.

"Woody, I will not calm down! I don't want to be here!" Jordan yelled at him.

"I know, Jordan. I know, but the doctors think that it would be best," he said sympathetically. "Listen…everyone is okay. Garret is going to be fine after a bit of rehab, Nigel's arm will be good as new in no time, and the rest of us are just a bit sick. You don't need to worry about anything."

"It's not that!" Jordan countered. "Okay, it is that…but it's more too."

Woody moved so that he was sitting on the bed with her. "What is it?"

"I want to go home! I don't want to stay in this stupid hospital with this stupid IV in my arm…I thought I wasn't ever going to go back home, and now I still can't!" At that, Jordan turned her head away and tried to push her feelings down.

Woody watched as all of Jordan's emotions took over. The stress of being on the mountain, thinking they were going to die, worrying about Garret, and everything else was taking it's toll. Gently, Woody pulled Jordan to his chest and started rubbing her back. He could feel her eyes squeezed tightly shut; she was trying not to cry in front of him.

"It's okay…Jordan, it's okay," he soothed. "You're going to get home…just a little bit later than you'd like. You just need to sleep now…you're too tired to do anything else."

Woody thought he heard a small sob come from Jordan, but then she said, "I can't sleep. I can't ever get comfortable in hospital beds."

Woody squeezed her a bit tighter, and then laid her back down. He kicked off his shoes and slid underneath the covers. He rolled Jordan over so that her head was on his chest, and kissed the top of her head. "How about now?" he asked.

Jordan snuggled closer to him. "It's better," she replied.

Woody stroked Jordan's hair until her breathing evened out, and then he too closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	2. Sick Leave

Chapter Two: Sick Leave

Jordan woke up slowly. The sun was playing gently on her face, and she could feel herself snuggled up against a strong, warm body. She was comfortable, relaxed. Leisurely, as her brain caught up with her body, Jordan remembered where she was.

She had been released from the hospital after a very sleepless night. Woody had taken her directly home. They were both so sick and tired; Jordan couldn't understand how Woody managed to drive straight. She refused to let him drive back to his apartment by himself. For once, Woody didn't argue because he felt so tired. Both of them practically fell into the bed and were asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

Now that Jordan was properly awake, she could see that the sunlight was the early-morning kind. She wondered if they had slept through more than just one day. She was considering sleeping through another one, when the phone rang.

Sluggishly, Jordan reached over to grab the receiver.

"Hello," she said.

"_Jordan. It's Kate."_

"No way am I coming in today," Jordan said quickly and forcefully.

"_Yeah, I know. Could you just listen to everything I have to say before complaining? I'm calling to tell you that we've all been given a week off…more, if we need it. But under no circumstances are you to come to the morgue until your week is up. Get it?"_

Jordan rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I get it. No morgue, one week. Anything else?"

"_Yes. Before we come back, each of us has to see Dr. Stiles. Nigel and I are going today, so you can make your appointment at any time. And you do have to go—you're not allowed back until you've seen him."_

"What? You can't do that. You're not in charge of the morgue right now!"

"_No, I'm not. Sydney is, for now. I didn't make the rules—that's what the higher-ups are telling me. Take it up with them."_

Before Jordan could respond, she heard a click. Kate had hung up.

"Who was that?" The sleepy person next to her had finally woken up.

"Kate," Jordan replied. She flopped back onto the pillows, intending on spending some more time snuggling up to Woody.

"What'd she want?"

"Just to tell us to stay away for a week…and that we have to see Stiles before we go back." Jordan turned to face him and laid her head on his chest.

Woody sighed. "That's what I figured…what do you think about it?"

"…I don't know…I guess we need it…but I don't want to go," Jordan replied softly.

"Yeah," Woody said. He kissed the top of her head and gave her a squeeze. "I guess we'll worry about it later."

"Ummmhmmm…all I want to do right now is sleep."

Woody chuckled. "You stay here, then. I'll go and get us some breakfast. We'll stay inside, eat chicken noodle soup, drink tea, and just lounge around all day."

"Sounds good to me," she said. But instead of releasing her grip, she tightened it.

Woody noticed. "Is something wrong, Jo?"

Jordan didn't say anything. She looked downward, so Woody couldn't see her eyes. His hand came up to her face and slowly tipped it upward. "What is it?" he asked, concern written all over his face.

"…I don't know," Jordan whispered. "I just don't want to be alone…could you wait a bit longer?"

Woody smiled, and then brushed Jordan's hair out of her face. "Sure," he said. "Anything for you."


	3. Seeing the Shrink

Chapter Three: Seeing the Shrink

Jordan sighed. She hated shrinks. And Stiles was special in that area. She supposed he'd be an okay person, but he made a career about delving into people's personal lives. It's a wonder that Nigel the gossip queen didn't go into counseling. Maybe it was the confidentiality part that shied him off.

"You know, if this session is going to count, you can't just sit there and stare at me the whole time," Dr. Stiles joked, sitting comfortably behind his desk.

Jordan shifted in her less comfy seat. "You're the shrink, so ask me a question. Maybe I'll answer," she said snarkily.

"It can't ever be easy with you, can it, Doc?"

"That would take all the fun out of it."

Stiles chuckled softly. "Okay," he conceded. "Tell me about what happened on that DMORT."

Jordan didn't answer right away. "You know what happened," she said finally. "I'm not the first from that trip to see you."

"True, I know the facts," he replied. "But I want to hear your perspective."

Taking another deep sigh, Jordan began slowly retelling the story that she didn't ever want to think about again. She tried to be bland about it…leave all of the personal stuff out…but she began tearing up when she talked about Garret.

"I…I couldn't stand the thought of loosing someone else in my life," she sniffed. "I would have rather died first than watch him. Garret…he's like a cross between a dad and a big brother." She gave Stiles a half smile.

"How afraid were you that everyone would die up there?" he asked.

Tears fell then. "Terrified," she said. "But what was worse…thinking that I might be the last to die, or thinking about who could be. Loosing my whole family, and not being able to do anything to stop it…I felt so helpless."

Dr. Stiles nodded. "Not a feeling you deal with well," he said. Both of them remembered the time when someone had broken into her apartment and disturbed her feelings of security.

Jordan shook her head, and continued with her tale. She left out the part about Woody. Jordan wasn't really sure why…she was fine with other people knowing about them, but it just seemed too personal to tell the shrink.

If Stiles suspected that she was hiding anything, he didn't mention it. Instead, he continued his questioning.

"And how do you feel now…all safe and sound, back home?" He smiled then, but it was a sarcastic expression. He knew the answer already.

"No…not exactly," Jordan said. "I mean, I'm so happy to be back. I never dreamed that we'd be found in time. It was a miracle. It's just…my mind keeps asking 'What if?' What if the helicopters never came?"

Stiles interrupted at that point. "But they did come, Jordan. That's not going to happen."

"I know," she shook her head. "The rational part of me keeps telling me that…but the other part…gets stuck right there. It's like I can't breathe when I think about it."

Stiles was quiet for a minute, letting Jordan recompose herself. "Any other feelings?" he asked.

She wondered if this session was ever going to end. "No," she said.

This time, he didn't overlook it. "Are you sure?"

Jordan glared at him for a bit. "No," she finally acquiesced. "I feel…kind of like I'm in a dream. Not a nightmare, or a fantasy…everything is familiar, but it's just off. Like something is out of place. It feels…weird." She shrugged her shoulders and looked at him.

"You know, Jordan, what you're feeling is completely normal," Stiles said. "It's one of the most normal things I've ever heard you say."

That comment was met by another stare. "In all seriousness," he went on. "You will get over all of that. It takes time. Everyone who goes through a major life event, good or bad, has to adjust once it's over. The panic attacks and feelings of being out-of-place will come to an end."

Jordan rolled her eyes. "That's great…how long to I have to live like this, then?"

"It all depends on you. You have your family, who is going through the same thing, to lean on. My guess is that you all will recover quite quickly with each other," he finished, giving her a real smile. "Now, I believe you've been tortured enough. But, if you want to see me again, me doors are always open."

"Thanks…maybe later," Jordan said. Then she picked up her coat and headed out the door.

* * *

"Okay, big guy. Your turn," Jordan announced, walking into the waiting room.

Woody reluctantly put down his magazine and stood up. "Great. I get to trade an hour of boredom for an hour of discomfort."

Jordan smiled. "Just think that I'll be here waiting for you when it's over," she said.

He walked up to her and rubbed her arms gently. "How'd it go?"

"Oh, you know…not good, not bad," she replied. "Maybe better than I think." She looked off to his side, thinking to herself.

"It is a good thing, Jordan," Woody said. "Even if we don't like doing it. They wouldn't be employed if this stuff didn't work."

Jordan smiled her agreement. Then Woody kissed her softly and went back to the doctor's office.

Jordan settled down in a chair and picked up the magazine Woody had abandoned. She could see why he had been bored. She yawned and stretched…maybe she could get a nap in while Woody's head was being shrunk.


	4. Silence?

**Sorry it's taken so long to update! Life got in the way a bit. This chapter is short, and it feels very rushed to me, but I wanted to get something up and hopefully jumpstart the story again. Hope you enjoy:-)**

Chapter Four: Silence?

Woody had done his time with Dr. Stiles, and he and Jordan were heading home. They hadn't said anything when he came out, and they now sat in silence in the car.

"Woody?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah."

"Are you okay?" Jordan's forehead was creased with concern. Woody seemed tense, but she couldn't pinpoint why.

"I'm fine," he said shortly.

When Woody didn't offer any further explanation, Jordan asked him again.

"Are you sure you're okay, Woody?"

Woody sighed, irritated. "Yes, Jordan. I'm fine."

Unsure how to take Woody's abrupt change in behavior Jordan nodded. "Okay," she said softly.

After another five minutes of silence, Woody finally spoke. "Are you sure about this, Jordan?"

"Sure about what?" she asked, confused.

"Are you sure about _us_?" Woody was definitely in a bad mood.

"Of course I'm sure…why?"

He looked at her sharply. "You didn't tell Stiles about us."

Jordan was still confused. "No…I didn't want to have to endure all of his teasing, and then his analysis of what it all meant. I just thought it would be easier to not get into it."

"Well, you made me look like an idiot," Woody spat. "He had no clue what I was talking about."

"I'm sorry, Woody…I didn't realize that would happen," Jordan defended herself.

"Are you really sure you're not backing out of this? Maybe now that we're back in the real world, you'd rather have things go back the way they were," he continued. "Did you even mean it when you said you love me?"

Jordan was completely floored, and hurt. "Yes, I meant it. How could you think I didn't?"

"Oh, well let's look at your track record," he said sarcastically. "I'm just so sick of having to put up with your commitment issues!"

"Woody, just because I didn't talk to Stiles about you doesn't mean that I don't love you…or…or that I don't want to be with you," she answered. Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes…how could Woody do this to her again? Jordan squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep the tears in. It didn't work, and a few poured down her cheeks.

Woody looked at her like she was growing three heads. "Now what are you doing?" he asked.

Jordan groaned. "What does it look like?" She angrily wiped her eyes.

"No way. You never cry," he said.

"Just because you've never seen me cry doesn't mean I don't…and you can't tell me what to do! All of a sudden I don't fit into your little mold of what I'm 'supposed' to be like, and so I must not love you anymore. Woody, that's not fair!" Jordan yelled.

"Yeah, well you never had to put up with yourself!" he shouted back as he pulled up in front of Jordan's building.

Jordan started sobbing. "Woody, I love you. I love you so much…I can't even think about life without you…it hurts so much," she nearly choked on the words. "But I can't keep going like this. I can't be with you if you don't trust me! I can't live wondering if you believe what I say to you."

She paused, drawing a shaky breath. "If that's the way it's going to be, then we're better off staying apart." It sounded as if the words were killing her.

She wiped her eyes one more time and opened the door.

"Jordan!" Woody called, but it was too late. She had slammed the door and was already inside.

Woody slammed his hands on the steering wheel. Why did he always overreact and screw things up?

He laid his head on the wheel, the silence ringing in his ears.


	5. Stumbling

Chapter Five: Stumbling

Woody sat in his car for an hour trying to figure out what to do. He decided that he could sit there all year and not know what to say. Shoving aside his pride, Woody climbed out of the car and headed up to Jordan's apartment.

He had to knock several times before Jordan opened the door. She had changed into pajamas, and her eyes were still red-rimmed.

Woody dropped his eyes to the ground. He hated that he'd hurt her. When he raised his head back up, Jordan was staring at him with her arms crossed. She was clearly trying to decide whether or not to let him in.

"Jordan…," Woody began. She closed her eyes briefly, as if she was trying to keep her emotions at bay. Then she simply turned back into her apartment, but left the door open. Woody took this as a positive sign…at least she was willing to hear him.

By the time Woody had shut the door behind him, Jordan had taken residence on the couch. She was looking at her hands, waiting for him to make the first move. Woody moved cautiously over to the couch. He sat down, but not close enough to touch Jordan…he wasn't sure how close she wanted him. When she didn't move away, Woody relaxed a bit.

"Jordan," he started again. "I'm sorry…it was wrong of me to jump to conclusions like that. I just…I don't know...I'm just so scared." He looked away again; his explanation sounded so lame.

Jordan didn't say anything at first. "Don't you think I'm scared, too?" she said softly. Her voice was rough from her tears. "I'm not the only one with issues…you've pushed me away, too," Jordan said even softer.

Woody rubbed his face. "I know…it's been my fault the last few times. I'm just so afraid that one day you'll run away…somehow I manage to convince myself that it will be easier if I'm that one that pushes…like if I sabotage things, then it won't affect me as much."

Jordan just nodded.

Woody went on, "It's just…everyone I've been close to has left me, in some form or another. My parents are dead…Cal's gone…you're all I have, and I'm terrified of loosing you."

"Woody…everyone in my life is gone, too," Jordan said, finally looking at him. "I'm scared, too. I don't know how to do this…I've never been in a relationship that I haven't sabotaged. And I'm scared that you'll leave me for the next pretty blonde girl that comes along…but I love you. I don't think I'd ever get over it if we split up."

Woody met her eyes. "But in the car, you said…"

"I said I couldn't be with you if I couldn't trust you. I don't know if I can..." The tears came back. "There's not a solution to this!" she said angrily. "Maybe you should just go." Jordan stood up and walked swiftly into her room, shutting the glass door behind her.

Woody sat there with his head in his hands. No, there was no way he was leaving until this was sorted out. Jordan was wrong—there was a solution.

Carefully, Woody walked to the bedroom and opened the door. Jordan was lying on her side, her knees pulled up to her chest, facing away from him. Woody slowly sat down next to her, and gently brushed the hair out of her face. He was surprised that she let him do it.

"We're going to work this out, Jordan," he whispered. "You're right; we can't keep going like this. I love you…I know you love me…we just can't let our fears rule over us. We have to let love rule."

Jordan sniffed. "What if we can't?" she asked.

"We can…we have too," he answered. He stroked her hair again, and took her hand in his. "I'm not letting you go…I'm not leaving."

Woody leaned over and gently kissed Jordan's forehead. She sat up and gathered her thoughts.

"Woody…this has to be the last time. You can't fly of the handle every time I do…or don't do what you expect me too. Or assume that I don't love you because I'm not as open about it as you are," she said. "And I won't run…I won't betray your trust, either."

She looked up to him, silently asking if what she said was okay. Woody looked deep into her eyes and nodded. Slowly, he leaned down and kissed her lips. She responded, clinging tightly to him.

The kiss was chaste…hesitant. Both of them were afraid of screwing up this time. They held onto each other as if their lives depended on it. It would work out…it had to.


	6. Slicing and Dicing

**Hello! Where is everyone? It seems a bit dead in here...I know lots of people are over at VS7, but there's still plenty of writing for the rest of us to do! **

**This is more of a transition chapter, but I hope it works nonetheless. Reveiws are always good; it helps me know people are still reading! Thanks:-)**

Chapter Six: Slicing and Dicing

"Jordan, remember—under no circumstances are you to leave the morgue and go out into the field. I don't care how crazy a case Nigel concocts. You are not allowed out! You understand me?"

Jordan rolled her eyes as the elevator dinged. "Geez, Woody. I'm not a five-year-old. I'm fine, and I can take care of myself."

Woody walked with her and continued warning her like an overprotective parent. "You're still sick, Jordan. You shouldn't even be back at work," he said. Jordan gave him another look, and he stopped. "Just be careful, okay? I don't like it when you're sick."

She smiled. His insistence was irritating, but it felt good to know that he cared so much. "I'll…try my best…not to get involved in anything outside the morgue," she said.

"Promise?"

"Yeah."

Kate came out of the doors just as they finished their vows. "What are we promising?" she asked.

Woody jumped on it quickly. "Jordan promised not to do any field work until she is 100 healthy."

"Hey, that's not what I said!"

Kate smirked. "Yeah, well Woody's right. No field work until you're all better. And Dr. Macy left me in charge, so you have to do what I say."

It was Jordan's turn to smirk. "Orders from the chief never stopped me before."

"Then I guess you'll have to stay home."

Jordan looked back at Woody, but it was all too clear that he was happy to have Kate as an ally. "Fine," Jordan grumbled and headed to her office.

"I'll pick you up for lunch!" Woody shouted after her. Jordan waved her hand in acknowledgement and kept on walking.

* * *

When Woody came back for lunch, he found Jordan in Autopsy. He watched her through the window for a while, enjoying being able to stare without any interruptions. His stomach reminded him of the reason he came, and prompted Woody through the door. 

"Hey," he said softly.

Jordan looked up, slightly startled. "Hey," she said back.

"Almost done?" he asked.

"Yep," she replied. There was a beat of silence, and then she said, "Aren't you going to check and make sure I got this body from inside the morgue?" Clearly, she was still a bit put out from his ranting that morning.

"No," Woody said simply. "I trust you."

This time Jordan stopped working and looked at him properly. Her eyes asked the unspoken question, _You do?_

His eyes didn't lie. "I'm sorry I was pushy this morning," he said. "I know you just want to get back to normal. Me, too. I just don't want working to make you more sick than you already are."

Jordan came over to him, tossing her gloves in the trash as she went. "It's okay. I should've been more understanding of you, too."

They smiled at each other timidly. Talking things out felt a bit weird, but neither of them wanted a repeat of the day with Dr. Stiles.

"So…does it feel more normal now?" Woody asked.

"Yeah," Jordan nodded. "At least a bit…Bug's not back yet. He wants to spend one more week with Lily and Madeline. And Garret…."

Garret had taken the surgery harder than expected. Though he was going to be fine, he had to stay in the hospital longer so that his body could reset itself.

"We could stop at the hospital on our way to lunch," Woody offered.

Jordan slipped her hand into his. "That's the best idea you've had all day."

* * *

Garret was awake and sitting up when Jordan and Woody got to his room. 

"Hey," Jordan said as she leaned over to give him a hug.

"Hey yourself," Garret said back. He looked her over, like a father would, and then said, "You look like crap."

Jordan smiled. "You looked at yourself in a mirror lately?"

"Yeah, well. I have a better excuse. And don't cough on me," he teased. "I don't want to be in here any longer than necessary."

Woody shook hands with Garret. It was odd…though Woody was a member of the "family" in every sense, he still felt as if he had to treat Dr. Macy with a degree of respectful distance.

"Are you keeping her on a tight leash?" the doctor asked.

"As tight as she'll let me," Woody answered.

They chatted for a while, and Jordan promised to come back and see Garret the next day.

As they headed out to lunch, Jordan sighed a little.

"What's wrong?" Woody asked.

"Nothing…just enjoying 'normal' things."

"Like driving to lunch?"

"Yeah…and doing autopsies…talking to Garret…heck, I even enjoyed Kate's sarcasm today."

Woody chuckled. "That's because you two are more alike than either of you would like to admit."

Jordan smacked him playfully on the arm. "Whatever," she said.

"Well, this time let's hope that 'normal' sticks around for a while," Woody concluded.

"At least in the 'almost dying' category," she agreed. "It can be un-normal for new things…like us." She looked over at him, trying to gage his reaction.

He smiled—a big, genuine, full 'Woody' smile. "Of course. But soon, we'll be normal together, too."


	7. SLAM

Chapter Seven: Slam

Jordan walked into the morgue whistling and holding a carrier full of coffees. Today was a good day.

"You're in a good mood," Seely commented as he passed her in the hallway.

"Yeah, man. Garret is back, and the Switzer's reign is over!" she answered happily.

"Well, Dr. Macy hates me, so there's nothing for me to be glad about. And I thought you liked the morgue Nazi?" he remarked disdainfully.

"I do! I love Kate," Jordan replied. "I just like having Garret be the one in charge…he's not as demanding and strict, you know."

Seely rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right."

Jordan smirked as he left. In the break room, everyone else was setting out their own snacks and drinks.

"Jordan! I'm so glad to see you!" Lily yelled as she practically threw her arms around Jordan.

"Yeah, it's great to see you, too, Lily," Jordan said once she had recovered. "Are you coming back to work, or just for Garret?"

"Oh, I'm here to stay. It's all worked out. I just wanted to make my first day the same as Garret's…kind of like my Welcome Back present for him," she said blithely.

"He'll appreciate it. Though I'm not sure he'll flip over all of this," Jordan said, gesturing to the make-shift party. "You know he doesn't like to draw attention to himself."

Lily huffed. "Yeah, I know. But it's not just for him. It's for all of us. To put the past behind us and move into the future, with a fun start!"

Lily looked so pleased with herself that Jordan didn't have the heart to disagree. She quickly dismissed herself to check into her office for a moment.

When she opened her door, she found Woody sitting in her desk chair.

"You know, stalking is against the law," she said playfully.

Woody smiled. "Want me to arrest myself?" he asked suggestively.

Jordan pretended to think it over. "Hmmm…I think maybe I should do it for you," she concluded as she walked up and wrapped her arms around him.

After a not-so-short kiss, Woody eased her out of his arms. "Better head back…don't want to miss Garret's big entrance," he said.

"Yeah, his big meltdown is more like it," she said, laughing.

Back at the break room, Nigel had music blaring out of his boom box.

"Could you turn that racket down?" shouted Kate, putting her hands over her ears.

After Nigel complied, she looked at him incredulously. "You call that music?" she asked.

"Nigel calls anything with a beat music," Jordan quipped as she and Woody reemerged.

"That's not true! Lindsey Lohan isn't music, and it has a beat!" Nigel answered hotly.

The all gave him a "whatever" look.

"When is Dr. Macy supposed to be in?" Bug asked. Clearly, the party atmosphere was not his thing.

"Not soon enough," Kate replied. "I cannot wait until he is back in charge."

"Hey," Woody said. "I thought you liked rules."

"Rules, yes. Having to make everyone—especially Jordan—follow them, no."

Everyone in the room laughed, and Jordan had the good grace to look mildly ashamed.

"You see, there's you're problem. Jordan won't follow the rules, so it's easier if you just give up." Everyone turned towards the door, recognizing Garret's voice.

Jordan was the first one to him. Wrapping him in a tight hug, she said, "Welcome back, boss."

Garret hugged her back, but not without rolling his eyes first. "I see you've made all of the necessary provisions for this," he said, indicating the food.

Lilly stepped up next. "We just wanted you to know how happy we were that you're back…and well…and that we missed you!"

"And that you're in charge from now on!" Kate cut in quickly.

There was a moment where everyone held their breath, waiting to see how Garret would take it.

Finally, he smiled. "I guess a little bit of partying couldn't hurt anyone…and thanks…I missed you all, too."

Then everyone cheered, Nigel turned his radio back up, and the party began.

The impromptu bash went on for almost a half an hour before the phone rang in Garret's office. How he could hear it over the noise was anyone's guess. He wanted to think that it was his training and experience as Chief ME. Garret excused himself and went to answer the incessant ringing.

The others continued to talk and eat until Garret came back. Nigel noticed his grim expression first and turned off the music. Everyone else started to protest until they too noticed the mood change.

"Hey, Gar. What's going on, man?" Jordan asked. Her eyebrows knit together in concern.

Garret sighed. "I need everyone to get ready. There's been a plane crash. At least 20 dead."


	8. Shock

Chapter Eight: Shock

No one was really prepared for what they were going to see. Being in a plane crash didn't lessen the blow—it magnified it.

When they arrived, everyone simply stood and stared at the wreckage. Smoke still curled a path into the sky as small fires burned around the metal. There was luggage and pieces of the plane spread out all over.

Kate was the first to move, running over to a bush and throwing up. Nigel almost had to force himself to go over to her—his whole body seemed numb. Jordan's eyes were filled with unshed tears, and Woody's face was pale as a ghost.

Garret's face was stony, as if he was trying to shove back the memories and act unaffected. Instead, it just made him harsher than usual. Bug hadn't even made an attempt to get out of the van.

Everyone was in shock.

Finally, Garret began giving orders. "Okay people, let's get going. The faster we move, the faster we can leave." The callousness of his tone seemed to jerk everyone back to life. A few stunned glances made Garret change his stance. "I just meant…this is hard enough. We need to get these people out of the plane so they can be brought back to their families."

After a few more murmured instructions, the team set to work. Nigel and Jordan walked to the end of the plane and began processing the five bodies that they found there.

They worked silently until Jordan couldn't keep her thoughts to herself. "Do you think they knew?"

Nigel looked at her questioningly. "Knew what, love?"

"Did they know that the plane was crashing? That this would be the end for them? I mean…in Devan's plane everyone was unconscious…they didn't have to feel the falling and the crashing…."

Nigel pondered that for a moment. "I don't know," he said, squeezing her hand. "I hope not."

Jordan nodded, but then continued, "The FBI agents knew."

"Yes. And so did we."

"But we lived. I just…they must have been scared."

Nigel didn't have an answer. He just looked away and started to prepare a body for transport.

* * *

At the mangled cockpit, Garret and Kate were waiting for rescue workers to free the pilot and copilot for them. While they waited, Detective Seely came up behind them.

"So, where are we at?" It seemed amazing that he could react so normally to such a situation.

"We're going as fast as we can," Garret answered. "Wait, why are you here? Woody was called to be the detective in charge."

"Yeah, my captain got wind of that," Seely said. "He thought that it would be better if someone else handled this case. Something about conflict of interest."

"That's hardly the way to describe it," Kate responded.

Seely rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Hoyt's off the case. If you see him, tell him to go home." With that, Seely marched off to consult with the others in charge.

Garret sighed as he was given the "all clear" signal. "Let's go."

* * *

Bug was still in the van. Woody was by him, trying to get him to at least move.

"C'mon, Bug," Woody tried awkwardly. "Garret's right…we need to get these people back to the morgue."

"Yeah, so we can give their families…and children…the news that they're gone forever," Bug said despondently. His hands were deep in his jacket pocket, one hand grasped tightly around one of Maddie's small toys.

Woody hung his head. He knew how Bug felt…the feelings of helplessness and fright came rushing back the moment he took in the scene. Instead of trying to persuade Bug anymore, Woody just leaned against the van. He didn't need to be out there, amongst the remains of the aircraft. Everyone would tell him what he needed to know later.

But he knew he couldn't just sit there. Bug might be able to try to avoid it all, but Woody couldn't. He let Bug know he was leaving, then headed in the direction he has seen Jordan go.

* * *

Hours later, all the dead from the crash were transported to the morgue and placed in drawers. Everyone was completely drained, physically and emotionally.

"Listen…we can start the autopsies in the morning," Garret said. "Everyone go home. Try to get some sleep. We've done what we could today."

No one replied, and one by one they all left. Woody was the last to move. He walked slowly through the morgue, stopping when he got to Jordan's office. He had never found her at the scene, and he hadn't ridden back with her either. Woody needed to see how she was doing.

The room was dark, but the soft sniffles told him and Jordan was in there. He paused at the doorway, taking in her silhouette lying on the couch. He softly walked over and joined her.

Woody lifted her into his arms gently and held her tight. He didn't say anything…he didn't know what to say. He just wanted to reassure her that he was there, and that she was there.

Jordan's tears soaked through his shirt, and his own began to form in his eyes. He held her tighter.

"We have to find what happened," Jordan said quietly. Her voice startled him a bit.

"We will, Jordan," he said. "It's going to be okay…we'll figure it out."

Jordan nodded against his chest. In a few more minutes, Woody realized that she was asleep…simply too exhausted to function anymore.

He gently pulled her afghan over her shoulders and lay down on the couch with her. There was no point going home…he'd just stay here and keep Jordan close. Tomorrow would come soon enough.


	9. Severe Surprises

Chapter Nine: Severe Surprises

Jordan woke up suddenly. The room was dark, and she couldn't remember where she was…if she was still on the mountain. Looking around the room, her brain told her that she was in her office. Her nerves told her otherwise. The only thing keeping her from panicking was Woody's strong arm around her waist.

But that wasn't enough…he would have been on the mountain too. Urgently, Jordan began to shake him. "Woody! Woody, wake up!"

"Hmmm?" He was groggy and not quite sure why whoever was shaking him was doing it.

"Woody! Please, just wake up!" Jordan's voice was more insistent now.

Coming to his senses, Woody sat up and wrapped Jordan in his arms. "What's wrong, Jo? Did you have a nightmare?"

Holding him tightly, Jordan nodded. "I just needed to hear your voice…to make sure we weren't still up there," she said meekly, almost embarrassed.

He held her tighter. "It's okay…we're safe. I'm here, and I'm not leaving." Woody said it all just as much for himself as he did for her.

After several minute of sitting in the still-dark silence, Jordan stood up. "I'm going to go take a shower, and get started on those autopsies," she said quietly.

"This early?" Woody asked. He wasn't quite ready to let her go.

"I can't sleep anymore…and the sooner I get started, maybe the sooner this will all be over," Jordan answered.

Woody nodded and squeezed her hand. Once Jordan was gone, Woody got up too. He put his coat on and left a note telling Jordan he had gone for coffee and breakfast, just in case she returned before he did. He sighed as he opened her office door. Today would be a long day.

* * *

Kate, Jordan, Garret, and Bug were diligently, but nearly silently, working on their autopsies. Each of them had five to do; they set themselves up in the same room so that they could compare their findings more easily. Nigel was busy running all of the trace they had found at the scene, plus what the doctors pulled off the bodies.

The only noise came from the occasional mumbles as the medical examiners did their jobs, and Seely's indignant huffs. Woody was there…the two detectives had had a loud fighting match over whether Woody could work the case or not. Seely had clearly lost the battle against Woody watching the autopsies, and he was showing his displeasure flagrantly.

Jordan was just about to start the autopsy on the copilot when Nigel came into the room, obviously agitated about something.

"Jordan?" He asked. "Have you drawn blood from Mr. Saunders yet?"

"No, Nige. I was just about to," she replied. "Why?"

"The other pilot's tox screen came back. He was drugged."

That got Kate's attention, as she had performed the autopsy on the pilot. "With what?" she asked.

"Tetrodoxin," he said. "Just like that stuff that killed Shelly Levine last year. It paralyzes the victim before it kills them."

"But doesn't that take a long time to take effect?" Garret asked. Everyone had come over and joined the huddle by Jordan's body.

"Not at these levels," Nigel said, showing Garret the print out. "It would only have taken the toxin about 2 hours to metabolize…and then, once he was paralyzed…down she goes."

Jordan quickly turned around and drew blood out of the copilot. It only took Nigel a few minutes to confirm that he had been drugged as well.

Grim faces stared back at the computer screen.

"This was no accident," Woody said.

"It was murder," Kate replied.

"Terrorists maybe?" Bug asked.

Seely shook his head. "Probably not. There weren't any middle-eastern names on the manifest. And besides, they like to make more of a show about killing people...and aren't they all suicide bombers anyway?"

"Unless it's a homegrown terrorist," Jordan said. "They don't usually kill themselves along with their victims…look at Timothy McVeigh."

"Well, whoever it was wanted those pilots to know that the plane was doomed," Garret added. "They could see and feel everything around them, but they couldn't do a thing about it…they knew they were going to die."

A shiver almost visibly passed through the group.

"How could someone do that to other people?" Nigel asked.

"I don't know…but we're going to find out," Jordan answered, her face set. No one contradicted her, because they were all thinking the same thing.


	10. Shaking with Anger

Chapter Ten: Shaking with Anger

Woody stormed down the hallway. His captain had just ordered him point blank to stay off the case. He didn't think Woody could handle any more "emotional upheaval," after seeing what happened to him after her was shot two years ago.

At least Seely had the good grace not to look smug as Woody left the office.

Now, Woody was at the morgue. They could say whatever they wanted, but Woody would not take himself off the case. He couldn't just sit around and let someone else take care of it; he had to make sure whoever was responsible for this was caught.

Jordan was his first stop down that road. Not only because she was the most brilliant ME he'd ever known, or because she didn't take orders well either. He wanted to make sure she was okay…or at least not alone.

He managed to stop his stomping just before he got to her office. He tapped the door lightly. No one answered, but he could see her silhouette beyond the frosted glass.

Slowly opening the door, Woody found Jordan sitting at her desk, her head in her hands, staring down at a file. He presumed, correctly, that it was one of the autopsies from the plane crash.

"Hey," he said. Jordan looked up. Woody could tell that she was having a hard time…it looked like she didn't know whether to cry or scream.

Weakly, Jordan smiled at him. "Hey," she said back.

Woody came around and sat on the edge of her desk, facing her. He could see the tension in her face and shoulders. He knew what she was thinking…he understood it. He had already thrown his own tantrum in the police gym a few hours earlier…but Jordan hadn't had the opportunity to let any of her emotions out.

"What are you doing?" he asked softly.

Jordan sighed. "Trying to make sense of this. Seely came by a little while ago. Said that none of us needed to be in on the investigation anymore…we had done our part, and he would take care of the rest." She laughed ruefully. "As if that's going to stop me."

Woody smiled. "No, it won't. My captain told me the same thing."

Jordan smiled back. "But I'm not getting anywhere…and Garret will probably kill me if he finds me working on anything…so…." She trailed off and shrugged her shoulders.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, until Woody stood up. "Come on," he said, and motioned for her to get her things.

"But—"

"You can't do anything more today, Jordan. And you need to do something to relieve your stress. I promise, tomorrow I will be with you 100 on solving this case. But let's get away for tonight."

Reluctantly, Jordan closed the file and stood up. "Where are we going?" she asked.

Woody thought about it for a minute. "For a run."

* * *

Their feet pounded the pavement in tandem. It was the fourth time around their regular route…a path they usually only ran twice. They were almost done with the current lap, and Woody was hoping that this would be the last.

He understood the need to do something in order to get the tension out, but his body was beginning to scream back at him.

Jordan, on the other hand, seemed to be handling the distance just fine. She hadn't slowed down even a bit since they started. Her face was still set and angry.

Woody slowed down as they came to their car, but Jordan continued on.

"Hey, Jordan. We need to stop," Woody said desperately.

Jordan shot him back a look, but kept going. Woody caught up with her and grabbed her arm. She stopped.

"I'm not ready," she said.

"Honey," Woody replied, breathing heavily. "We've been running for hours. It's time to stop."

Jordan glared at him. "You said we were going to run until we felt better. I don't feel better yet."

He sighed. "Okay…okay. But I can't go anymore. I don't feel great, but my back is starting to hurt, and you're going to burn out if you don't stop, too."

She threw up her hands. "So what am I supposed to do?" she shouted. "I can't get rid of this! It feels like I'm just going to explode. This isn't how it's supposed to be. There wasn't supposed to be another plane crash. We were all supposed to get over this and go back to our lives. Why can't it ever stop?"

At that point, Woody pulled her to him in a tight hug. Jordan was still ranting, but he held her firmly. He walked her over to a park bench and they both sat down.

Woody didn't know what to say. He felt angry…weird…confused…and all things in between about the plane crash murders. But he could tell that what he was feeling didn't hold a candle to Jordan's emotions.

She had this enormous capacity for feelings. She wasn't good at showing them to people she was close to, though she was getting better, but they came out all the time in her passion for justice. This was just too overpowering for her. She was trying to be tough in front of everyone, and it was backfiring.

Woody continued to hold her, as Jordan literally shook with anger and grief. Finally, after what felt like an hour, exhaustion took over and Jordan slumped in his arms.

After a few more moments, Jordan spoke up. "I'm okay now," she said quietly.

Woody rubbed her back and nodded. "Ready to go home?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Woody?"

"Hmm?"

He felt her fidget, and he could sense her biting her lip. "Thank you," she whispered.

He smiled, and kissed the top of her head. "No problem, Jo."


	11. Sneaking Through the Evidence

Chapter Ten: Sneaking Through the Evidence

Jordan dragged herself out of the locker room. It had been an incredibly long week. Trying to solve the plane crash case, keep that hidden from everyone else, and do her regular duties had all taken its toll. Not too mention all of the emotions swirling around her head.

Garret had joined the police captain in forbidding anyone from working the case, and he was sticking to his decision. He had told everyone that is was better that they just let it go as best as they could—and that anyone working on the case would be reprimanded.

Although they had argued, it fell on deaf ears. Garret's words were final, and he would not let anyone—least of all, Jordan—chew through the leash this time.

That was the last time anyone had spoken of the plane crash. Even when they were alone, Jordan and Woody avoided the subject. Woody was having an even harder time trying work on the case surreptitiously. The captain was keeping him extra busy, and Seely was protecting his information better than a bear protects her cubs.

In the end, though, none of that really mattered. From what Jordan had been able to get her hands on, nothing even remotely close to a lead had come up. All of the tests she had run came up blank, or merely confirmed what they already knew. Whoever had done this did not leave one shred of evidence.

Jordan was exhausted. Sleep was hard to come by…every night she had vivid memories of the plane going down and being stuck on the mountain. Sometimes, she would just get up and come to work. Most of the times, however, she would end up at Woody's apartment…knocking on his door at two in the morning. He'd let her in, hold her tight, and then she could get a little sleep.

Just as Jordan reached the elevator, it opened and the object of her musings stepped out.

"Hey," Woody said softly. She smiled at him, and he walked over and hugged her. "Long day?" he asked.

"Yeah," Jordan sighed. "You?"

"Yeah." He started rubbing her back. "Listen, why don't you just come over to my place now? Maybe that way you'll get a full night's sleep."

Jordan pulled away so she could see his face. "And so you won't be woken up in the middle of the night?" she asked with a smirk.

Woody chuckled. He gently stroked her cheek. "Nah…I'm usually still up anyway."

Jordan nodded and they both got in the elevator.

As the elevator began its decent, Jordan laid her head on Woody's shoulder. "Anything new?" she asked quietly.

Woody sighed. "No. Seely won't even talk to me at the moment…keeps heading the other direction every time he sees me."

"Can't you get his information some other way?" Jordan persisted. "I mean…even if you have to go over the same ground as he does…you might see something he didn't, and give us a lead."

Another sigh. "I don' know, Jordan. The captain is keeping close tabs on me…kind of like I'm some time bomb he expects could blow any minute."

Jordan just nodded. "I know…I just feel like there has to be something…to get everything moving in the right direction."

Woody kissed the top of her head. "I know, sweetheart. We'll find it…just keep looking."

* * *

The next morning, Jordan sat at a computer in Trace, feverishly typing and clicking. She was there extra early—the only other person in the morgue was Nigel, and he seemed oblivious to her presence. The night before, Jordan had thought of something right before she fell asleep. Woody had forced her to stay in bed, instead of running off to the morgue right away.

Whatever it was could wait a few hours for Jordan to get some sleep, he had said. Dutifully, Woody wrote down Jordan's thoughts so that they'd be ready in the morning. Unfortunately for Woody, that only minimally put it out of Jordan's mind. She spent the whole night tossing and turning.

Now, she was smiling smugly at the screen. "Gotcha," she muttered under her breath.

* * *

Spotting Matt Seely in the hallway having a conversation with Kate, Jordan quickly walked up to him with the printout in her hand. Kate noticed Jordan and hastily walked off.

Jordan didn't spare time to think about Kate's strange behavior, instead confronting an already-frazzled looking Seely.

"I found something," she said.

"Did you?" he smirked. "If it's money, then it's probably mine because I lost $50 on the game last night."

Jordan glared at him. "On the crash case," she amended irritably. "There was a soda can found in the cockpit—nearly undamaged. It had traces of the toxin in it, and prints. The prints had traces of the drug on them, too. I ran them against—"

"The pilot, copilot, and stewardesses and didn't find a match. Deductive reasoning would than have us infer that the prints are the killers'," Seely interrupted.

Jordan blinked and shook her head, bewildered. "How did you know?"

"Gee, I don't know…maybe because you're the _fourth_ person to come and tell me this already!" Seely said, exasperated. "You know, if you're all going to break the rules and go on your own crusades—and do my job for me—you should at least talk to each other so I don't get the same information a hundred different times!"

"Detective Seely, could I have a word with you?"

Both heads turned around as Garret's voice rang out. Seely rolled his eyes. "I haven't done anything. You need to keep better control of your employees. You guaranteed that they would not be working the case."

Garret looked from him to Jordan. She tried to look innocent, but it wasn't working.

"What did they tell you?" he asked. Seely quickly relayed the new evidence, but stopped when he realized that Garret didn't look surprised by the information.

Seely's eyebrows scrunched together. "You already know all this, don't you?"

When Garret didn't deny it, Jordan turned on him. "You forced all of us off the case, and then kept working it yourself?" she asked accusingly.

Garret put his hands up. "Calm down, Jordan. Yes, I was working on the case. Apparently, so was everyone else. We might as well just deal with it instead of getting upset."

"Whatever, man," Seely countered. "This is _my_ case, not yours. If I want help from the morgue, I'll get someone who wasn't stuck on that mountain to help me. Now, stay away from my business and let this cop do his job!"

Both of them tried to say something, but Seely held his hand up to cut them off. "No, and don't come to me again," he said. With that, the detective turned on his heel and stalked out of the morgue, leaving Garret and Jordan staring after him.


	12. Sorting It Out

Chapter Eleven: Sorting It Out

Seely slammed a large stack of files onto the conference room table. He had all but handcuffed whoever had been working the plane crash site and forced them to join his little powwow.

"Here," he said angrily. "Everything from the case…interviews, forensic reports, autopsy files, you name it."

Everyone gathered stared back at him…some of them a bit guiltily. They all assumed they were here for a telling off about working the case without permission.

"It has become glaringly apparent to me that nothing _anyone_ says or does it going to keep you off this case," he continued. "So, you are going to solve it for me."

"It's about bloody time," Nigel said. "You're certainly not getting anywhere on your own."

Garret flashed Nigel a warning look. Seely smirked.

"Yeah, you all hate me…I'm over it," he replied. "And anyway, you haven't heard all of your assignment yet. You will stay here, in this room, until you're done."

Blank stares met this proclamation, until their brains caught up with what they had heard.

"Now wait a minute," Garret said. "You can't just pull all of us—we have other cases to work on, too."

Another smirk. "Then I suggest you get busy," Seely said. "I've got it all worked out…no one leaves this room until the case is solved."

Lily piped up. "Why am I here? I can't work on cases."

"Well, _grief counselor_," Seely answered. "The way I see it, there are five other people here who haven't quite worked out their grief yet…and this whole thing—" he gestured at the files—"seems to have affected you just as much as them. You're stuck."

With that, the detective strode out of the room and shut the door firmly. For a minute, everyone sat silently. Then, as one, they all dove toward the files.

"Ok, ok…let's do this systematically," Garret said, coming to his senses. Jordan continued to pull at the files. "_Systematically_, Jordan. Listen to me for once."

Jordan glared at him, but placed the files back on the table.

"All right…interviews go to Woody…chemical analysis to Nigel…Bug, Jordan, and Kate, split the autopsies…I'll write whatever you find on the board and see if we can see a connection…and Lily…," he trailed off not knowing what job to give her.

She smiled. "I'll go get some coffee…maybe order lunch. That is, if His Highness will let me out of the room." She got up and slipped out, without incident.

For a while each person was silent, intently focused on their files. Every once in a while, one of them would comment and Garret would write the information on the board. Woody's stack was by far the largest, as it contained interviews from all of the victim's families and the plane company employees. When Lily had returned, she began reading them along with Woody to help him.

After several hours, nothing of worth came to light.

"This is hopeless," Bug exclaimed. "There's nothing new…no way that we can find out who did this!"

"But there has to be," Jordan insisted. "We can't just let it go…these people deserve justice."

"Yeah, well that doesn't mean that they're going to get it," Bug replied.

Jordan looked as if she would smack him, if Woody hadn't put his hand on her shoulder.

"We're not giving up, Jordan," he said calmly.

Nobody contradicted Woody, but it was clear that they each were thinking that it would be nearly impossible to solve this one.


	13. Stress Syndrome Therapy

**This is kind of sappy...but necessary to get where I'm going. Hope you like.:-)**

Chapter Thirteen: Stress Syndrome Therapy

It was past dinner, and they still hadn't gotten anywhere. Seely hadn't been kidding about forcing them to stay in that room, either. He even intimidated a young rookie cop into playing guard dog.

Bug sighed, rubbing his eyes and looking up from the autopsy file he was reading. "This man," he said softly, "he left behind a two-year-old daughter. She won't get to be "daddy's girl," or have anyone walk her down the aisle. I doubt she'll even remember him."

Everyone else looked up at him, but didn't say anything.

"I was afraid of that happening to Maddie," he continued. "I know she'd still have Jeffery…but he hardly gives her the time of day…I feel like her real father. Thinking that I wouldn't be able to be there for her scared me the most up there."

Lily linked her arm through Bug's. "No one knew anything over here…I mean, we knew something had gone wrong…you were supposed to be back that night. But no one told us anything—we didn't even know that the plane had crashed. I was sick with worry. I even went to the precinct, but they didn't know anything, either. I had all of these scary possibilities running threw my head, some of them worse than what actually happened. I don't think I would have made it if all of you were gone." She sniffed and wiped away a few tears.

Kate snorted. "I'm sure you could have done just fine without me," she added a bit sourly. Everyone turned and stared at her.

"Why on earth would you say that?" Nigel asked.

"Because I'm not part of your little group…and no one really likes me anyway," she replied. "I'm used to it…it's been that way everywhere I've been…but having it stare me in the face was…was…."

"We do like you," Jordan cut in. "Yeah, you're a bit abrasive and stubborn…it's more something you have in common with us that not," she smirked a bit.

"And, you are part of our 'little group.' You have been for quite a while…no one here hates you, and we all would have been devastated if you died up there," Nigel added. "Especially me."

Kate looked at him then. "I've grown on you, have I?" she asked.

Nigel smiled. "Who else am I going to get to compete with?"

Suddenly, Jordan turned to Garret. "Why didn't you tell any of us that you were injured? You had to have known long before we figured it out."

Garret sighed. "I did know. I didn't want to give you all extra worries…and at the beginning, I thought that we'd be found before it got bad. You all had enough to do without me being a burden."

"You're not a burden, Dr. Macy," Bug said. "Your our friend…we would have helped you."

"We were all worried about everyone dying, knowing about your injury wouldn't have added that much too it," Woody said.

Garret just shrugged. "It still made me feel better to keep it from you, in a small way."

Everyone's eyes turned to Woody and Jordan.

Woody laughed nervously. "It's our turn, right?"

Jordan opened her mouth before Woody could get any farther. "I was afraid of being the last one left…of having to watch everyone I love die. I wasn't as much concerned about me dying…I've come so close to it so much, I figured I had finally run out of luck. But I couldn't watch all of you…." Tears spilled down her face. "I….I love you all too much for that," she whispered.

Woody pulled her into a sideways hug. "We all feel the same about you, Jordan. I don't know how I felt…just lost, I guess. I am so used to being able to fix things…and I couldn't fix this. No matter what I tried, it didn't help anything."

"But it did," Lily said forcefully. "That transmitter you all said failed, how else could they have found you? That had to have been it!"

Thinking about it, everyone nodded. "We thought that had failed…it was such a long shot," said Bug.

Nigel smiled. "I guess our luck hasn't run out yet," he said.

Kate shook her head and wiped her eyes. "I guess Seely knows more than it looks like he does," she commented. "I think we needed this."

"Yeah, we did," said Jordan. "We're a family…we needed to sort this out together."

"Well, then," Garret said. "Let's solve this thing the family way." He turned toward Jordan and winked. "Any ideas?"


	14. Stage Actors

Chapter Fourteen: Stage Actors

"Let's do it," Jordan said with a smile.

"Sweet Nancy, just don't make me the killer-perv this time," Nigel muttered.

Woody smirked. "I doubt that there are any pervs in this story, Nige."

"But how on earth are we supposed to make sure you aren't the killer; isn't that what we're trying to figure out?" Kate said, smacking Nigel on the arm ("Ow!"). "Anyway, what exactly are 'we' doing?"

"It's Jordan's favorite past time," Bug explained. "A little crime recreation theater."

At Kate's still-puzzled look, Garret explained more. "Everyone pretends to be one of the people involved in the murder. We only use the facts and try to reconstruct what happens. I know it sounds crazy, but it's hardly ever failed."

Kate rolled her eyes, but didn't protest.

"Okay…Nige, if you really don't want to be the killer, I suggest you be the pilot," Jordan stated. "I doubt this is suicide, so he's the only one we can really rule out."

Everyone pushed the tables out of the way and set up the chairs to look like airplane aisles.

Nigel took his place as the pilot, and Bug volunteered to be the copilot.

"Okay…there were supposed to be two stewardesses, but one was in sick…of course, that person was replaced," Woody said after referring to Seely's notes. "So, Jordan and Kate…you be the stewardesses on board. Lily, you be the one who stayed home."

The women glanced at each other. "Wow, this is exciting," Lily commented.

Garret and Woody chose to be passengers who were at the top of the "interest" list.

"All right…what about the terrorist angle?" said Garret. "No one was of Middle Eastern decent, but there could have been a home-grown terrorist."

"Okay, I'll be him," said Woody. "Let's see what happens."

* * *

"Woody the Terrorist" boards the plane. Jordan welcomes him, and he takes his seat towards the front of the plane. Once everyone is on board, Jordan goes to the back of the plane. Woody waits for Kate to leave the front, but she doesn't pass him until the plane is in the air and the stewardesses are passing out drinks.

Woody gets a drink, and surreptitiously inserts the toxin into it. Then, he gets up and goes towards the cockpit to—

"That doesn't make sense," Garret said.

* * *

Everyone else stops, and becomes themselves again.

"Why not?" asked Lily.

"Well, first of all…the cockpit has its own security system. I doubt anyone would be able to get in without force, and that would attract too much attention. The pilots would never drink anything a man with a gun would give them."

"Plus, the toxin would not have caused the paralysis that quickly. The pilot had to have ingested it before take off, at the very least," Nigel added.

"Okay…didn't think the terrorist angle would work anyway. Most home-grown guys aren't into suicide, and they usually want it publicized. It was only a small plane; it hasn't gotten any national attention," Jordan thought out loud.

"So what? It has to be a personal connection to someone on the plane," Kate said.

Woody consulted his suspect list again. "Well, any of the passengers would have the same problem getting into the cockpit. And none of them would have access to the plane before boarding, so I think we can rule them out."

"That leaves the stewardesses and the copilot." Jordan waggled her eyebrows at Kate.

Bug replied, "Well, it can't be me. Why would I drink my own poison? If I did want the plane to go down, I would make sure that I wasn't on it."

Everyone slowly turned and looked towards Lily.

* * *

"Lily the Stewardess" boards the plane while no one else is in it. She takes out a can of soda and places the toxin inside it. Then, she puts it in the cockpit on the pilot's side. Taking one last glance around, she leaves the plane.

Afterwards, she pretends to get sick and Kate has to replace her.

* * *

Garret sighed. "That explains how the soda got there…but what about motive? And why would the stewardess want to kill everyone on the plane?"

"Why did she put the soda by the pilot and not the copilot?" asked Kate.

Jordan re-read the tox reports. "The pilot ingested a greater quantity of the toxin than the copilot did. The same results, but it means that he was the target. He must have shared his drink with the copilot."

"So maybe the stewardess didn't mean for the plane to go down," Nigel said. "Maybe she just wanted the pilot dead…for some reason."

Jordan shook her head. "But if she wanted him dead, there are bunches of other ways to get him that way that don't involve taking out 20 other people in the process. And it wasn't sure-fire…if the copilot hadn't drunk the soda, the plane wouldn't have crashed."

"She was the stewardess with that crew for over two years," Woody read from the report. "She would have known both pilots' habits. Maybe they always shared drinks? We need to question her again."

"But what about motive?" asked Bug. "She had to have a really good reason to want this guy dead."

"Affairs are always good motives…the guy was married," Kate replied. "And, this way…it looks like an accident. She probably betted that the soda can would be destroyed in the crash."

"This is all very lovely, but do we have anything that will prove our theories?" Nigel asked.

Jordan smirked. "As a matter of fact, we might, Nige. We found a print on the soda can, remember? It didn't match anyone from the crew. I bet it is the stewardesses."

* * *

One quick computer test confirmed it. The absent stewardess was indeed the guilty party.

"That's cold," Lily said quietly. Everyone shuddered…no matter what the reason the stewardess had, it would never justify killing 20 people like that.

"Let's call Seely…tell him we did his job for him," said Garret soberly.


	15. Survivors

**Sorry this is so late! It's also the end, but I have another story in the works. And it's summer vacation coming up, so I should be more frequent in updating. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Fourteen: Survivors

It was probably the most packed interrogation observation room in recent memory. When Renee Walcott walked in, she rolled her eyes at the morgue crowd. For a moment, she looked as if she was going to throw them out, but then decided that it wasn't worth the trouble.

"Just be quiet," she said. Small smiles emerged on everyone's faces, but they sobered up when Seely entered the room on the other side of the glass.

He took a seat, leaned back in the chair and smiled at the suspect. "So, Miss Jacobs…when did you start having an affair with the pilot?"

She gaped at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Come on, I know how it is," Seely answered. "You work with him…go all over the country…you probably see him more than his wife does."

Miss Jacobs seemed to be weighing her options. "Yeah…all right, we had an affair. So what? There's nothing wrong with that."

Seely held back the comment he wanted to make. He pretended to study his file for a moment. Then he asked, "So when did you decide to kill him?"

Back in the observation room, everyone was at rapt attention. "He doesn't pull any punches, does he?" Renee asked.

"Not a chance," Jordan said. "He doesn't get to screw this one up."

Meanwhile, Miss Jacobs was recovering from the shock of being exposed. "Excuse me?" she asked innocently.

"When did you decide to kill him?" Seely repeated. "Did he refuse to leave his wife? Want to stop seeing you? Was he going to rat you out? I know you did it, so you might as well fess up."

Her face changed and became shrewd. "_You_ know, huh? It's not like that matters, you're just a stupid cop. You don't even have any proof, or you wouldn't be questioning me."

"Well, that's the thing. You see, we do have proof," Seely answered. He pulled out several pieces of paper from the file. "Here are two witness statements saying that they saw you go into the airplane before boarding time, and before you 'got sick.' And here…here we have a forensics report that says your fingerprints are on the soda can that was spiked with neurotoxin." He looked up at her and smiled. "Gotcha."

Miss Jacobs looked over the reports, this time truly shocked. "No," she said. "This can't be right…the soda can was supposed to be destroyed in the crash…there shouldn't be any evidence left."

"Is that a confession?" Seely asked.

"No one was supposed to find out!" she yelled at him. "He wouldn't leave his wife! He was going to tell her about us! What was I supposed to do?"

"You mean other than let him go and just deal with it?" Seely replied. "Just tell me one thing…if he's the only one you wanted dead, why take down the whole plane? The passengers and the crew—they were completely innocent. You didn't need to kill them."

"What do you know," Miss Jacobs said. "The whole point of murder is not to get caught. It was supposed to look like an accident. How else could I have killed him without getting caught?"

Angered and astonished, Seely got up and took out his handcuffs. Pulling Miss Jacobs out of her seat, he cuffed her. "You are under arrest for the murder of the 21 people on Flight 982. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will…"

The rest didn't matter. A collective sigh of relief was let out be everyone in the observation room.

"That's cold," Nigel said sadly.

"Yeah…I don't even think Kate would go that far," Woody said, chuckling.

Everyone stared for a second, and then broke out into smiles.

"Well, now we know," Garret said. "The victims have justice, and we have our answers."

"I think it's time we let it go and got back to living," Lily added. Everyone else agreed.

"So," Nigel began. "Who's up for all-you-can-eat at the Beef N' Brew?"

* * *

Jordan and Woody sat quietly in her darkened office. It had been a long night at the Beef N' Brew…nobody had wanted to go home. It was a bit irrational since they knew they'd see each other tomorrow…but they didn't want to be alone. It was a celebration, and an ending at the same time.

Jordan shifted in Woody's arms. "You okay?" he asked her softly.

She squeezed his hands. "Yeah…are you?"

"Yeah," he said. He squeezed her back. "I'm great. I think we did it this time."

"Did what?"

"Put everything behind us," he replied.

Jordan sat up and turned to face him. "Not everything," she said. "I don't want to put everything behind me."

Woody looked confused, and Jordan smiled. "Not this part," she clarified. Then, she leaned in and kissed him. It was slow, sweet, and full of promise.

When they finally parted, Woody smiled. "No…we wouldn't want to leave that part out." He tucked a curl behind Jordan's ear gently. "I love you, Jordan."

"I love you, too," she whispered. She gave him another kiss, and then rested her head on his chest. Woody pulled her closer and held her.

"So we're good?" he asked.

She smiled. "Yeah…we're great."


End file.
